


Security Measures

by Tarlan



Category: Boa vs. Python (2004), Thoughtcrimes (2003)
Genre: Hewligan, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-31
Updated: 2009-07-31
Packaged: 2017-10-20 17:42:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/215378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While assisting in the security of a conference, Brendan meets Emmett for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Security Measures

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **smallfandomfest** FEST05 but also meets **hewligan_100** 039 Dressed Up

When he was given the assignment of assisting with the security arrangements surrounding a conference on the Use of Animals in Law Enforcement situations, Brendan had to endure various jokes from his colleagues. He took the Doctor Doolittle jokes with a tight smile but the snake jokes were really beginning to annoy him. So what if there was going to be some scientist who had a big snake?

Last month Brendan had decided he'd had enough of hiding his sexual orientation, finally admitting to his work colleagues that he was gay. He thought they had been okay with the revelation but the giant snake jokes from Hilliard bordered on sexual harassment and if they didn't stop soon then Brendan was going to punch him.

Freya laid her small hand on his arm. "He's confused...and unsure how to relate to you now."

"Well he can relate to my fist if he keeps it up. It's not like I've changed from the person I was last month."

"No, but his perception of you has changed. Some people need a little more time to adjust. He's not worth getting suspended or being fired over."

Brendan gave her a long look that she wouldn't need to be a mind reader to understand, but she gave back as good as she got from him until, finally, he huffed out a breath. Freya was right. It wasn't worth losing his job over, and perhaps he was being a little oversensitive. Still...

"One more crack about giant snakes and..."

"Agent Dean?"

Brendan sighed and turned at the unfamiliar voice to find a scruffy-looking man with a five-o'clock shadow and slightly unkempt hair standing behind him. The instant he finished cataloging those features, his eyes roved swiftly down the rest of the man's body, taking in the broad shoulders and chest emphasized by the dark t-shirt, and the baggy cargo pants that failed to conceal the strong thighs. Above the stubble-roughened jaw, a soft wide mouth and startling blue eyes momentarily mesmerized Brendan. Brendan swallowed hard; the guy was seriously hot.

Any other thoughts were cut short by a small but vicious kick from Freya.

Brendan cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm Special Agent Dean."

The man smiled, revealing small but perfect white teeth. "Your man over there... Hilliard? Told me to tell you all about my snake."

"He did, did he?" Brendan gave a tight smile, glancing over to where Hilliard was smirking broadly. Seriously hot or not, Brendan took a breath, intending to tell the guy that he didn't appreciate the juvenile jokes but the guy stuck out a hand.

"Doctor Emmett, herpetologist." Emmett's smile faltered and he pulled back his hand. "I'm attending the conference on _Use of animals in Law Enforcement_."

"Sure, Dr. Emmett. What can I do for you?"

"Your security isn't going to be enough. Betty... She's a big snake."

"Big as in ten...fifteen feet?"

"Closer to fifty...and still growing."

Brendan knew he'd gone wide-eyed in a mixture of shock and awe. "Fifty?"

"The glass enclosure is just as I specified, though I'd like for it to have been a little larger but the access security is... Well, I wouldn't care to see anyone eaten...again."

"Again?"

"Though strictly speaking, that wasn't Betty's fault entirely. She was protecting her eggs...and herself...and possibly me." Emmett took a deep breath. "You have to understand, there are people who'd like to ruin my life's work, or simply destroy Betty, which pretty much amounts to the same thing."

"Okay. I'll look into the security around the enclosure."

"Before this evening? That's when the transport gets here."

He stuck out his hand again and, this time, Brendan reached back quickly, eagerly gripping the strong, lean fingers within his own and squeezing. Their eyes met and held, frozen in place for a few seconds longer that what could be considered appropriate before Freya held her hand out between them, breaking the spell. Brendan released his grip and stepped back while Emmett shook hands with Freya. He noticed Emmett glancing back over his shoulder as he left the office, his cheeks a little pinker, and eyes a little brighter still.

Freya nudged him, grinning broadly. "He likes you too," she whispered before heading away, leaving him momentarily lost in thought until he remembered he had a job to do.

****

With the conference due to start tomorrow, Brendan went to the center attached to one of the best hotels in the city to verify all the security arrangements, though he had to admit that it was partly because he was intrigued by Emmett, and the giant snake that he was bringing along. When he reached the massive glass enclosure, he had to admit that he couldn't understand why Emmett was fretting. It looked extremely secure with an airlock-styled opening mechanism where the inner door could not be opened unless the outer door was locked.

Emmett was inside the enclosure, filling a deep pool with water. Taking in the enclosure and all the vegetation placed within, this was an expensive outlay for such a small conference but the government had to have a good reason for spending all that money. Emmett spotted him and smiled, beckoning him to come on in. Inside it was humid, like a tropical rain forest.

"So, I've been over the plans with the organizers and I can't see a security problem."

"Two things. First, the access mechanism doesn't work. Well, it does work...but it doesn't." He huffed in annoyance. "The outer door has a keypad access and both doors are set on a timer. Close one door, wait thirty seconds before opening the other."

Brendan frowned. "And the problem?"

"It doesn't *lock* the outer door just closes it. After thirty seconds..."

"No second access key is needed and after thirty seconds, both doors could be opened together."

"That wouldn't be a problem at Longreen because I'm the only one with access to the laboratory, but here..."

"Got it. And the second problem?"

"The food supply."

"The food?"

"Betty eats live snakes. If someone was to get to her food supply, poison it perhaps, then..." Emmett sighed. "At Longreen, everything is under tight security protocols. And I mean everything. Here?" He pointed to a large glass tank on the outside of the enclosure, filled with slithering snakes of sizes ranging from what Brendan would consider large to huge. He recognized some of them as rattlers.

Brendan got it immediately, realizing that practically anyone had access to the food snakes, if they wanted to take such a risk. At the very least, their placement could be a danger to those attending the conference should someone rig the smaller glass enclosure to open.

He nodded. "It's a little too late to go changing the locking mechanism, I'm afraid, but I can arrange to have additional security guards around this whole area."

Brendan got onto that immediately. By the time the new security guards were in place, with strict instructions on protocols, the transport carrying Emmett's snake, Betty, had arrived. Brendan watched in awe as the massive snake slithered through the specially designed access port into the enclosure. More amazing was watching Emmett in the enclosure with the giant snake, casually feeding it one of the largest rattlers Brendan had ever seen. Betty took it from him gently, slithering away to digest her meal. He understood now why Freya had declined the chance to come see the snake, knowing she had probably seen images of it in Emmett's mind.

Emmett came out of the enclosure smiling widely. "Well, she seems no worse for the journey."

"Now she's fed and settled, how about you?"

Emmett looked at him in confusion before his eyes widened in coy interest. "Are you buying?"

Brendan opened his mouth to say no, but then realized this was a chance to get to know Emmett a little better. Anyway, it had been a long time since he'd sat down to eat with someone as hot and exciting as Emmett; someone who'd been throwing casual but interested looks in his direction -- since the moment they first met, if Freya was right. He glanced at his wristwatch, realizing he was officially off duty at this moment.

"Sure. Why not."

"You mind if I go change first?"

"Sure, I'll wait for you in the bar next door."

"Twenty minutes," Emmett threw over his shoulder as he quickened his pace and rushed out of the conference center.

****

Brendan sipped at his beer while he waited, eyes gliding around the room and taking in every detail and every individual. It wasn't strictly a bar, doubling as a restaurant too, and he watched as a waitress moved from table to table, taking orders and checking on her customers. At times like this he missed Freya as she'd offer him little tidbits of the conversations going on around them, and not necessarily the words spoken out loud. Often it was necessary for their work but on other occasions, it was simple entertainment and made up for the fact that she could read him almost any time she wanted; though he had been working on his blocking with help from Dr. Welles.

Movement in the doorway caught his attention, and he found himself staring at the man standing there, recognizing him instantly, and yet Emmett looked so different. Tighter fitting dress pants and a soft blue shirt had replaced the baggy cargo pants and t-shirt. His messy hair had been tamed a little, the curls still damp at the ends, and he had shaved, taking several years off his quirkily handsome face. Emmett slipped into the booth, sitting opposite Brendan, the table light catching his eyes and making them shine a crystal blue. He gave a lopsided smile, glancing away from Brendan as the waitress came over to take his drink order.

By the end of the meal there was no doubt in Brendan's mind that Emmett was interested in more than just talking. Somewhere along the way, Brendan ceased to think of the giant snake as anything other than Betty. When Emmett mentioned having coffee facilities in his hotel room, Brendan knew that this was Emmett's way of giving him a choice on whether they took this further.

"Coffee sounds good," he stated softly, knowing he was accepting more than just coffee, plus he liked the way Emmett flushed just a little in pleasure at his answer, wondering if he could make Emmett flush a whole lot more.

The short journey to Emmett's sixth floor room was an exercise in restraint, and Emmett barely managed to close the door behind them before Brendan was pushing him up against that same door. His hands smoothed over the brushed cotton shirt, feeling the tightening nipples beneath the cloth before he began unbuttoning the shirt, desperate to run his fingers through the fine light brown chest hairs that had been tempting him through the open collar all evening. Their lips met, mouths opening to accept a deeper, more intimate kiss, tongues colliding and sliding, tasting each other as Brendan pushed the shirt off Emmett's broad shoulders. When he felt the tug on his suit jacket, Brendan stepped back, pleased with the pink flush suffusing Emmett's cheeks and the parted, slightly swollen lips that seemed to be begging for more kisses. He draped his suit jacket over the back of a chair and pulled off his tie, backing up into the room and smiling, waiting for Emmett to follow.

By the time he had eased out of his shirt, Emmett was half naked and reaching for him, fingers splayed across his chest, playing with the dark curls. Brendan gasped softly when those clever fingers stroked over a nipple, sending a frisson of pure desire straight to his cock. He kicked off his shoes and reached between them, rubbing the palm of his hand over Emmett's hard cock, enjoying the low moan as Emmett's head dropped onto Brendan's shoulder. With fingers shaking with need, he opened Emmett's pants, eager to feel the hard flesh in his hand, thumb rubbing over the slit to smear precome over the head. He drew in a breath as Emmett reciprocated, both of them pulling lazily on the other until Emmett struggled to break free, face flushed and eyes almost black with desire.

"I've only got the one decent pair of pants," Emmett explained shakily, and Brendan grinned, imagining Emmett standing up in front of his peers tomorrow with a tell-tale stain on the front of his only dress pants.

They stripped quickly, laying clothes aside almost carelessly before tumbling onto the bed, wrapped around each other, mouths joined in another deep and dirty kiss. Somehow they found the right angle, thrusting against each other until Emmett cried out, the sticky heat of his release seeping between them, triggering Brendan's climax.

For a long time they simply lay wrapped around each other, hard breaths gradually softening, and when Brendan eventually leaned up on one elbow to look down on Emmett, he grinned at the sated, happy expression. Staggering to the bathroom, Brendan returned with a warm, damp washcloth, and once they were as clean as they were going to get, he lay back down, caressing Emmett's soft skin as they both eased towards sleep.

The strident ring tone of Brendan's cellphone pulled him out of the best sleep he'd had in months, possibly years.

"This better be good, Hilliard," he stated softly even though he could feel Emmett stirring awake beside him.

"You and snake-boy better get down here. Someone tried to gain access to his giant snake...other than you, that is."

Brendan grit his teeth. "One more comment like that, Hilliard..."

"Hey, can't you take a joke?"

"Only when it's funny, and that wasn't."

"Yeah, right. Forgot you're a little... sensitive these days."

Brendan fumed silently. "I'll be right down with Dr. Emmett."

He cut the call before Hilliard turned that into an innuendo too. No matter what Freya said, Hilliard was heading for major trouble as far as Brendan was concerned. He reached over and shook Emmett, momentarily caught by the way sleepy eyes opened, and the soft smile that curled up the corners of Emmett's mouth.

"Someone tried to get to Betty."

Emmett was awake in an instant, pushing up from the bed and lunging for his clothes. Brendan pulled his own slightly wrinkled clothing on as well. Barely had he managed to finish dressing before Emmett was heading out of the door, Brendan hot on his heels. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, they took the stairs three at a time, aided by gravity. When Brendan entered the conference center, several NSA agents and security guards were milling about, along with two police officers. Hands bound with plastic ties, two dark-clothed young men shot angry glares towards Emmett.

"Hey, it's Dr. Frankenstein," one of them sneered. "That snake is an abomination, a genetically engineered abomination. You have no right to tamper with God's creations."

Emmett ignored them, moving straight to the enclosure and placing his palm against the thick glass. Behind the glass, Betty seemed to register his presence, rearing up and flowing over to him, forked tongue flickering again the other side of the glass. Checking out the room, Brendan noticed that the access panel to the food snake enclosure was slightly ajar, fortunately not wide enough for any of the snakes to escape. Brendan watched as Emmett went over and resealed the smaller enclosure before taking the opportunity to gain a full report from the security guard.

"I caught them with this." He handed over a hypodermic needle and a small bottle, and Brendan recognized the contents as a slow-acting poison. The plan seemed obvious. Poison the food, which then gets eaten by Betty, thereby poisoning her too.

"What happened?"

"They tried a diversion to draw security away. Guess they didn't realize there was two of us here with orders for one to stay with the snakes until relieved of duty." The guard straightened. "I held them at gun point until back-up arrived."

"Good job."

It took a couple of hours before Brendan could persuade Emmett to go back to his hotel room, promising that the guards would remain in case of another attempt on Betty. Finally nodding his agreement, Emmett paused and looked straight at Brendan.

"Coffee?"

Brendan smiled in relief, relaxing once more. "I thought you'd never ask."

****

A week later, Brendan rubbed his sore knuckle and stared down at Hilliard, who was holding a bloodied nose. He'd endured as much as he could stomach of Hilliard's attitude, though the final insult had been aimed at Emmett. Behind him, Emmett was wide-eyed with shock, his own hands still balled into fists, but Brendan had no intention of seeing his lover taken in for assaulting an NSA agent. Freya had caught hold of Emmett's arm, pulling him back but all Brendan could hear was Harper bellowing from his office door, ordering Brendan and Hilliard into his office.

Brendan stood stock still while Hilliard ranted, his words muffled by his injury, expecting the worst.

"I want that maniac put up on charges of assault!"

"Fine. And I'll be filing sexual harassment charges against you to counterbalance that report."

Brendan stared at Harper in surprise, having not expected to receive any support. Hilliard stormed out of Harper's office leaving Brendan facing Harper alone.

"He won't file charges...but I can't simply look away. One week's suspension without pay."

"He deserved..."

"Yes, but I cannot condone violence towards another agent." Harper sighed. "Look, Dean, I'm doing you a favor here. I'm sure there must be some place you'd like to spend a week away from work...that isn't here?" He glanced pointedly in Emmett's direction. Finally getting it, Brendan nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Emmett was still angry when Brendan reached his side, and more so when Brendan told him he'd been suspended.

"Emmett... I've heard Elkins is a great place to reflect on my actions," he stated meaningfully, waiting for the moment when Emmett figured it out too. He was not disappointed; seeing the blue eyes dancing with happiness, and the soft lips curling upwards in a beautiful smile.

Punching Hilliard had been worth it after all.

END


End file.
